Tag: dijonnaise

How popular is the baby name Dijonnaise in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Dijonnaise and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Dijonnaise.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Dijonnaise

Number of Babies Named Dijonnaise

Born in the U.S. Since 1880

Posts that Mention the Name Dijonnaise

We may not be able to stop the Cheesepocalypse, but while we’re waiting it out, we can talk about how Velveeta isn’t just a product name — it’s also a baby name! The name Velveeta first appeared on the SSA’s baby name list in the 1950s:

1971: 8 baby girls named Velveeta

[…]

1966: 5 baby girls named Velveeta

[…]

1959: 6 baby girls named Velveeta

1958: 5 baby girls named Velveeta

1957: 7 baby girls named Velveeta [debut]

These numbers don’t give the full picture, though. Usage of the name (and of the product itself) was highest in the middle of the century, but I’ve found people named Velveeta born as early as the 1930s and as late as the 1980s.

So where does the word “Velveeta” come from?

The product was invented in the late 1910s by Swiss-born cheesemaker Emil Frey. The Kraft-Phenix company (later just Kraft) ended up acquiring the processed cheese spread and naming it “Velveeta” for its velvety consistency.

Velveeta was introduced nationally in the late 1920s, right around the start of the Great Depression. Here’s a Velveeta ad from 1929 telling people about the “delicious new cheese product.”

Yesterday, someone tried to leave the following comment on my Dijonnaise post:

And every one of them was black. Guaranteed.

I didn’t approve the comment, but I did find it interesting. And timely.

Several days ago, reader C in DC directed me to a transcript of The Kojo Nnamdi Show. This particular show had to do with the issues/struggles female prisoners face upon release. One caller suggested that black-sounding first names may impede reintegration:

I have known three black women, one of whom was incarcerated previously, and the other two had difficulties in their life that didn’t involve incarceration. And all three of them had birth names on their birth certificate, names like Shiquanda (sp?) or Jamezeta (sp?), names that basically screamed out, you know, I was born black, poor neighborhood

The caller noted that all three women “ended up legally changing their names” and “they all experienced considerable success after that change.”

Who knows if the caller was telling the truth, but he could be–it’s not outside of the realm of possibility–and that’s the important part.

Several studies and mounds of anecdotal evidence suggest that snap judgments about names may keep certain people (or, more significantly, certain groups of people) from being treated fairly when they apply for jobs.

And I’m not just talking about African-American names. I’m talking Spanish (“Mexican”) names, Muslim/Arabic names…just about any name that doesn’t sound mainstream or “white.”

I’m also not just talking about the United States. This type of discrimination has been observed in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and other places with minority populations.

The Kojo Nnamdi caller brings up a good point: some names can indeed be a hindrance. Here’s a telling quote from résumé consultant Tammy Kabell:

I’ve had frank discussions with HR managers and hiring mangers in the corporate world, and they tell me when they see a name that’s ethnic or a black name, they perceive that person as having low education or coming from a lower socioeconomic class.

So what advice should we give former female prisoners with names like Shiquanda and Jamezeta who are having trouble getting a job?

Do we mention that people with more common (“whiter”) names sometimes have an easier time landing an interview? Do we suggest that they use their first initial instead of their first name? Do we recommend they take the drastic step of legally changing their first name? Or…is it racist to even make suggestions like these?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

(Also, thank you to C in DC for sending me the link to the transcript!)

Here’s a baby name that might make you hungry: Calizza. It appeared on the SSA’s baby name list in 1986 but never again, making it a true one-hit wonder.

1987: unlisted

1986: 8 baby girls named Calizza [debut]

1985: unlisted

Calizza, like Dijonnaise, can be traced back to a new food item and (more importantly) the national marketing campaign associated with that new food item.

In this case, the food item was Pizza Hut’s Calizza — a portmanteau of the words calzone and pizza. It was introduced in early 1986 with the help of commercials like this one:

The Calizza was a six-inch turnover available in two flavors: five-cheese blend and sausage/green pepper.

If you’re curious to try a Calizza, Pizza Hut won’t be able to help you — they unceremoniously discontinued the Calizza a few years after introducing it. But you could always give this blogger-created 3 Cheese Calizza recipe a shot.

In 1992, mayonnaise maker Hellmann’s added Dijon mustard to the mix (literally!) by adding Dijonnaise to their product line.

They introduced/marketed the new condiment with the following TV commercial:

(That catchy “Dij, Dij, Dij, Dij-onn-aise” ditty is set to the tune of “Duke of Earl.”)

Expectant parents must have either loved the Dijonnaise or loved the commercial (perhaps both?) because here’s what happened next:

1996: unlisted

1995: 5 baby girls named Dijonnaise

1994: unlisted

1993: 23 baby girls named Dijonnaise [debut]

1992: unlisted

Yup, nearly two dozen babies named Dijonnaise in 1993. And five more a couple of years later.

Conclusion? At least 28 baby girls born in the U.S. in the mid-1990s were named after Hellmann’s Dijonnaise.

(It should be noted, though, that the sound of the word Dijonnaise was relatively trendy at the time. Three of the names that debuted on the charts the year before, for instance, were Dijonnae, Daijanae and Dajonae.)